Meet Chaya
A Jewish spiritual teacher, writer, and psychotherapist.
Chaya is a psychotherapist, author, inspirational speaker and spiritual guide. Synthesizing ancient Jewish wisdom, psychology, and the arts, her work focuses on helping people heal and thrive.
Chaya holds an Ivy League BA in Religious Studies and an MA in Clinical Psychology. She also did extensive doctoral work at Oxford University on experiential Torah learning.
As co-director of Jerusalem’s Shalev Center for Jewish Personal Growth, Chaya offers therapy, classes, healing workshops, and retreats in Israel and internationally.
Her books include Lit: Poems to Ignite Your Jewish Holidays and Babel’s Daughter: From the Bible Belt to the Holy Land. Her essays appear in the Times of Israel, and her spoken-word work includes Ink from Ash.
Chaya lives with her husband, Rabbi Hillel Lester, and their four children in the heart of Jerusalem.